Volume 1, Chapter 28: Actually, You Like Me, You Just Don't Know It Yourself!

The night deepened, with only a single warm, amber bedside lamp casting a soft glow across the bedroom.

Su Yu knelt on the edge of the bed, tending to Si Yan’s bandages. The wound on his chest had not yet fully healed, and her hand, clutching the cotton swab, was so light she barely dared to apply pressure.

Suddenly, the man reached out, pulled her into his arms, and settled her onto his lap.

The cotton swab in Su Yu’s hand trembled violently, nearly poking his wound. She frowned and pushed at him, "Stop it, you're making it impossible for me to dress your wound!"

"Dress it just like this."

Si Yan ignored her entirely. Instead, he grabbed her wrist and pressed the medicated swab back against his wound, his tone brooking no argument.

"Mmm..." As the medicine touched his raw skin, the man let out a low, muffled groan.

Su Yu looked down, the firm texture of his muscles around the wound clearly visible, along with the slight tension in his lines from suppressed pain. She had no choice but to patiently continue.

Yet, this man had no intention of staying still.

As she meticulously wiped the area and wound the gauze, his focus was entirely elsewhere. One moment, he leaned in to blow softly against her ear, the cool breath sending shivers down her earlobe. The next, he opened his mouth to gently nip at her ear, his tongue grazing it with a teasing, subtle touch.

Within moments, Su Yu’s ears were flushed deep red, the heat spreading to her neck. Her movements grew clumsy, and she couldn't help but chide, "Si Yan!"

"What is it, darling?"

Si Yan asked with feigned ignorance, his eyes crinkling with amusement. Su Yu looked at him, unwilling to waste her breath on such a shameless man. She gritted her teeth, pulled the gauze taut, and wrapped it haphazardly—if he hadn't been constantly misbehaving, it wouldn't have been such a struggle.

But the man refused to let her go, his arms tightening around her. He leaned into her hot, crimson ear, his voice dropping into a coaxing whisper: "Darling, shall we go look at wedding dresses tomorrow?"

Su Yu’s movements came to an abrupt halt.

Look at wedding dresses?

She had never agreed to marry him! Being entangled with a man like him was already a nightmare; how could she even entertain thoughts of wedding dresses or a marriage?

A surge of resistance welled up within her. She pushed Si Yan away forcefully, her voice cold and sharp: "I'm not going. Go yourself if you want to!"

Without waiting for his reaction, she turned, crawled into bed, and pulled the quilt over her head, making it clear she had no interest in continuing the conversation.

Si Yan watched the woman sulking under the covers, a heavy, stifling feeling settling in his chest. He reached up and deliberately tugged at the gauze she had just applied, letting the thin fabric hang loosely off his shoulder, and called out, "My chest hurts, darling. You didn't wrap it well, and it's come undone."

Su Yu, hidden beneath the quilt, didn't react at all; she didn't even budge.

Si Yan leaned closer, his tone thick with aggrieved sweetness: "You’re the one who hurt me, darling. Don't you plan to take responsibility until the end?"

The moment those words left his lips, the quilt was whipped away.

Su Yu sat up, her face still flushed with lingering annoyance, yet she quickly moved to his side, grabbed a fresh roll of gauze, and carefully re-wrapped the wound, pulling the knot tight with her fingertips.

The man took the opportunity to pull her into his arms, resting his chin atop her head with a low chuckle: "I knew you were soft-hearted, darling. You can't bear for me to die."

Su Yu rolled her eyes against his chest and retorted sharply, "This wound isn't even near your heart. How could you possibly die?"

"You’re spouting nonsense!"

"I am not."

Si Yan tightened his grip, pulling her closer, his voice laced with stubborn playfulness. "Since this wound was caused by you, whether it hurts or whether I live or die—isn't that entirely up to you?"

"In one month, you will be my bride, darling."

Si Yan held her fast, his voice full of resolute tenderness, "I will love you for the rest of my life."

Su Yu did not respond. She simply lowered her head, her long hair falling forward to hide most of her face. Deep within her eyes lay a sorrow that could not be dispelled.

She never needed his love. Those burning, possessive affections were nothing but heavy shackles to her. What she had wanted all along was simple: for him to loosen his grip and let her go. But the words were stuck in her throat, unable to escape, leaving her to let the bitterness slowly spread through her heart.

A madman talking about love—it was pure fantasy.

"Si Yan, only two people who love each other can get married. You and I are not that!" Su Yu looked up at him, hoping he would understand. She didn't love him, and she would never marry him.

But he didn't understand, or perhaps, he was merely pretending not to.

"Darling, it is true that I love you."

Si Yan didn't let go. He used his thumb to lift her chin, his gaze fixed on her with stubborn intensity. "How can you prove that you don't love me?"

Su Yu was stunned by the question, then, as if hearing something truly absurd, her eyes widened. "Do I need to prove that I don't love you?"

"Of course you do." Si Yan nodded with genuine seriousness, his thumb tracing her lips with an outrageously confident tone. "I love you, and my heart sees it clearly. You love me, too—you just haven't seen it in your own heart yet!"

Su Yu was so infuriated by his twisted logic that she swatted his hand away. "You—you’re just being unreasonable!"

She turned her face away, refusing to look at him, and muttered, "Talking to you is like talking to a brick wall!"

She didn't know her own heart? What a joke. She thought Si Yan should see an eye doctor! Something was wrong with his eyes, and something was wrong with his brain. Full of twisted logic—needing proof for a lack of love. If he claimed to love her, did he have to prove that too?

Seeing that she was genuinely angry, Si Yan didn't get annoyed. Instead, he scooped her up into his arms and gently placed her onto the bed.

As soon as she touched the mattress, Su Yu instinctively tensed, her legs feeling weak—she hadn't forgotten the times he had "bullied" her before.

Si Yan noticed her small reaction, chuckled, and patted her back to soothe her: "I won't touch you tonight. Sleep."

"We’ll go try on wedding dresses tomorrow."

As he spoke, he pulled her into his embrace, letting her lie against his chest. It was his favorite position; he needed to feel her face against him to find peace, though he couldn't explain why.

Su Yu, however, grumbled to herself: this position was terrible. Every time she woke up in the morning, she could feel something hard pressing against her, which was mortifying.

Si Yan, oblivious to her thoughts, pulled the quilt over them, closed his eyes, and began to gently stroke her hair with his large palm until his breathing gradually leveled out.

"Si Yan."

"Hmm?" He responded softly upon hearing his darling call him.

"Can you... can you let Li Hanyan go?"

Su Yu bit her lip, unsure if Si Yan would agree.

Si Yan suddenly opened his eyes and looked down at her. "Darling, what kind of feelings do you have for him?"

"Do you love him?"

Love? She felt like she did, yet at the same time, she didn't. She couldn't clearly define what love was. She only knew that Li Hanyan had always taken care of her and her grandfather. They had grown up together. Her grandfather had promised her to Li Hanyan as his wife long ago, saying that after he passed, Li Hanyan would be her only support.